Asus unveils fanless mini-desktop, Chromebox, for $179

Asus has unveiled an interesting new product this week running on Google's Chrome OS operating system, the Chromebox.

The Chromebox is a fanless, all-in-one mini-PC with 4.88" by 4.88" by 1.65" dimensions. The device is similar to Intel's NUC desktop, but at a lower price point, and with more components actually already in the device. The NUC is much more versatile but is more DIY.

Under the hood is a 1.4GHz dual-core Celeron 2955U (Intel Haswell), integrated Intel graphics, 2GB of RAM, 16GB SSD, dual-band 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0, an SD card slot and a Kensington lock slot. If you live outside the U.S., you will have the option to jump up to a Core i7-4600U, and U.S. buyers will also be able to upgrade to a 1.7GHz Core i3-4010U.